Mike Pompeo, Trump’s nominee for director of the CIA, told the U.S. Senate on Thursday that North Korea remains one of the most significant international threats to the United States.

Pompeo, a conservative Republican from Kansas, expressed concern over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats in an around three-hour confirmation hearing at the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

“North Korea has dangerously accelerated its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, with little regard for international pressure,” Pompeo said in an opening statement.

When asked by Senator Joe Manchin whether he believes terrorism is the highest threat that the U.S. faces, Pompeo